I Never Knew Love 'til You (I Never 4)

“Where’s this coming from?” she adds. “I figured you, of all people, wouldn’t mind his absence.” Of course she questions my curiosity. Normally, it wouldn’t bother me. Why didn’t I just shrug and roll my eyes and move on with the evening? Fuck my life.

I bring the glass to my lips and take a large gulp of liquid courage. “Ugh, I fucked up,” I sigh as I set the glass back down.

“What do you mean?” Lauren spins and clings to the counter, as if bracing herself for whatever news I’m about to deliver.

“I kissed Jaxon,” I admit.

Shock is all over her face as her mouth gapes and eyes bulge. She closes her mouth and holds her finger up as if she’s trying to gather the words but settles on a simple question. “Where?”

“On the mouth,” I tease, pressing my lips together to stifle a laugh.

She scowls. “I meant, where did you kiss him? When did you kiss him? Why am I now just hearing about it?”

All she’s missing is the who and what of the interrogation, but then again, we’ve already established those.

“At the holiday party.”

I watch the pieces all come to place in her mind. “Holy shit,” she breathes and quickly covers her mouth with her hand.

“Lauren, Kate,” my brother shouts, interrupting the conversation before we can talk any more. I’ve never wanted to hug my brother so badly. “Mom says we can’t dive in till you guys get back in here, and Emme is getting restless.”

“Hey, don’t bring my child into this,” Zach follows up, chuckling.

We both laugh at the fact that Kyler just threw a toddler under the bus because he is so impatient. Hard to believe the man is a father when he acts like a child himself.

“Umm, we’ll finish this conversation later. You know that, right?” Lauren loops her arm through mine and beings to pull me toward the other room.

“There’s nothing to talk about. We kissed. It was a mistake. It’s not like I haven’t kissed plenty of other frogs before. And just like those, he didn’t turn into a prince. Not all of us have that perfect happily ever after, sis.” I steady my features, but I know of all people, she would be the one to see through my bullshit. It was just a kiss—nothing more, nothing less. Just two people having a nonverbal conversation with their lips. If I tell myself that enough times, it will come true, right?

Lauren gives a small smile when she realizes I’m done with the conversation and releases my arm and heads to her open seat beside her husband. I take in the surrounding room. The chatter may be loud, but there’s no shortage of love.

Levi and Charli are asleep in swings set up beside the table where Kyler and Dani sit. Kyler’s arm is wrapped around his wife, and she rests her head on his shoulder. Poor guys look like they’re ready for a nap. Haylee is focused on a newborn baby Harper, who is wrapped against her body in one of those Mobi wrap things. According to Haylee, it’s God’s gift to creation, and I can’t help but smile since I was the one who got her that. Emme is giggling from her chair between her parents as she watches her dad pour gravy lava down her mashed potatoes volcano.

Mom sits at the head of the table, resting her chin on her propped-up fists, a smile on her face as she observes her family.

My life might not be the happily ever after that others dreamed of, but life is damn good.

“All right, who’s hungry?”